Life Among the Fireflies
by triggerhappy44
Summary: Cade and Aeris have lived an easy life in District Five for as long as they can remember. It all changes when the 99th Hunger Games begin, and suddenly they are both closer to dying then ever, inside and outside the arena.
1. Preface

**Hey there! My first public Fanfic, please be kind. **

Preface

Life, in a way, is like a sprint. We are all lined up on a track, all of us running as fast as possible, to do as well as we can in the race. There are always winners, in every race. Sometimes, you have the luck to be a winner. Sometimes not. Sometimes your lungs don't seem to work, you stumble through the undergrowth, gasping, and sometimes your lane ends unexpectedly, while everyone else continues, making their way. Sometimes, you are dying, and there is nothing you can do about it, nothing to stop the red river determined to pour from the gaping hole in your body. Sometimes, you have to collapse, and give up.

But sometimes, it's not you who is slowly struggling for breath. There are people who do not run alone. Beside them they have their equal, who matches them step for step. And sometimes, their partner falls. Sometimes it's okay, because they can pull them right back up again. Sometimes, you are the one being pulled up.

Then sometimes, there is no one there to help you. There is no one there to hold your hand as you die.

And how I wish for the body supposed to be curled up beside me. How I wish she would run her hands through my hair and tell me not to worry, even though I am drifting away, gone. How I wish I did not have to run the last lap alone.

The last thing I know of is the blinking light of a firefly.

**Now, be a kind person and press the little green button.**


	2. Watching the Skies

**Yay Chapter 1. I really hope you like it.**

Cade

I glance towards the sun, shielding my eyes with my palm. There isn't much time before it sets. I feel impatient, slightly anxious. Aeris is late. The sun dips lower into the sky, tingeing it with a multitude of colors. Above me, the clouds look pink, almost blood red in several places. It is Aeris, though, who finds pleasure in watching the skies change. Me, I like to stay grounded.

Then I spot her. In the fading light, her short, brown-red hair appears as though it will burst into fire at any moment. Her striped yellow sweater appears orange, and even her skin tight black pants are reddish. It is as though someone high above us has splattered fiery colors as far as I can see in any direction.

Aeris still trots towards me, making it plain that she has no intention of speeding up, though she knows me well enough to realize I want to hurry. The mischievous grin on her face is painfully obvious.

"What's the rush, Cade?" Aeris' voice will never cease to amaze me. It's loud and clear, and fits her perfectly.

"We will never get there before sundown" I am exasperated, and I let her know it.

"Then run!" she replies, and we are off, the wind rushing past, clawing at my sweater like a solid beast.

We are not fast, not exactly, but we can run so much farther than other people. Early on, I discovered a way to control my breathing, so that I would become tired long after other boys my age. I taught Aeris this, and she added a few tactics to the method herself. We love to run.

We slow down to a light jog. Aeris keeps pace with me, just a half-step behind. It's nearly dusk; as I look around I already see life stirring. There are only a few moments of sunlight left by the time we reach our hill. Aeris skips forward before me, and disappears into the tall grass as she sits down. We are invisible, hidden by gently swaying grass. She curls against me, and together, we watch the sky darken altogether.

**Do you like it??? Do you not??? Either way I will love you if you press the green button. Yes, I KNOW my characters so far are rather Mary-Sue. I'll figure out how to change that later. Cade can beat up an old lady or something.**


	3. Seriously

**Hi!! Still Cade here. This chapter starts right after the other one, by the way, (-) failed peace sign :)**

Cade

"Is it time yet?" Aeris whispers. "No" I rebuke her gently. Then, as if on cue, the show begins. We stand up as one, and observe. This,_ this_ is the reason Aeris and I are here. All around us, the fireflies start to blink. I feel the smile already creep on my face.

We stand perfectly still. "Beautiful as always" Aeris remarks quietly. The crickets chirp. Then, we burst into action. Aeris tears herself away from my arms, and picks a particularly bright firefly to chase. She dances, her eyes on her target, and with a shriek of satisfaction she traps her prey, bring it back to me in cupped hands. There, in her small palms, the firefly's light pulses. Then it flees its huntress, and Aeris smiles wistfully. We compete, catching the brightest fireflies.

I let out, as I never do normally. Soon I am just as undignified as Aeris, hooting and sprinting through the reeds. We collapse eventually; close enough to be able to talk quietly. There is a topic pressing on our minds.

"The reaping is soon" Aeris says it casually, but beneath the mask she is scared. I pause before replying.

"Better to be picked this year then the next". It's true. The next games will be the 100th, the terrifying Quarter Quell.

"I'm scared" Aeris whispers. I am too, but I don't let her know it. We will both be happier tomorrow if she believes me confident. "Don't worry" I joke. "If you get picked I will lead a whole rebellion to free you from the Capitol." Aeris snorts.

"Besides, someone will surely volunteer" In district 3, someone nearly always does. "But will they volunteer for you?" Aeris is suddenly very serious again. "I don't know" We lie in silence some more. Aeris, as always breaks it first. "If you get picked... I will die if you don't win" I reply- "The same goes for you." Then, I lean over, and whisper "I love you."

However, fate, as always, has a way of ruining things.

**INTENSE!! For me, at least. Cookies for those who review!!**


	4. Countdowns

We have been spending most of our time together, ditching school constantly as we always do the week before reaping. We spend a ridiculous amount of time watching the night, safe in our embrace, hidden in the reeds, and it shows. During daylight hours, we are exhausted by our late night treks. We sprint to arrive to our hideout, and drag our feet slowly to leave for home.

When only two nights are left in our dreaded countdown, Aeris and I come equipped with sleeping bags. By unspoken agreement, we stay out for the night.

I take a lot of time to fall asleep.

When I do, it's not for long. I wake to find Aeris clawing frantically at the covers.

"Aeris?" I ask sleepily. In response, she stumbles away a meter or so and falls to the ground. I hear a retching sound, and I scramble after her.

"Aeris!" I am fully awake now, aware that something isn't right. Aeris moans and clutches her stomach. I half-carry, half-drag her backwards, where the moonlight is stronger. Her front and chin is covered in a dark color that I instantly know to be red.

Bright, scarlet red.

Instantly, I scoop her up, cradling her head, and I flee our sleeping bags. Aeris is vomiting blood, and people who vomit blood need to see doctors. Therefore, I need a healer. Aeris' aunt can help, I believe.

I am panting heavily by the time we reach town, not used to the extra weight. Aeris no longer moans quite as often, but I don't consider this a good sign.

I scramble up the porch, fervently hoping Aunt Fyrvis is not on her rounds to the sick. I turn and slam my shoulder against the door, intending to open it. Ow. It seems Aunt Fyrvis locks her door, unlike my family. It doesn't take long for lights to turn on, and she comes running. Again unlike my family, she asks no questions when she sees Aeris, bloody and in my arms in the middle of the night.

It is not until she has laid Aeris on a quilt, and has examined her that she turns to face me. Her eyes travel to the three small children peering at the still body on the quilt from behind the doorway. "Go" she says to them. They obediently scamper off to their bedrooms.

Then, Aunt Fyrvis says one of the worst things you can possibly hear nowadays.

"Boilfever"


	5. The Eye

**Hey Guys! Yes, you may have noticed my mistakes. In the summary, I say that they live in District five, then at one point I say district three. Oh well. I really don't know which district they're from. I guess I'll stick with five. Now, more ranting. I didn't create boilfever after a real disease, I had to go to bed and it was the first thing that popped into my head. **

**Thanks to everybody who has reviewed so far, especially to Jennedy and Zman135 for actually giving constructive criticism (Silly Allers3 and Snowhiskers.) Still, I tend to be too high to give proper reviews myself, so oh well. Jennedy I think you will enjoy this, since it is a nice, long chapter. I should shut up and get on with the story, shouldn't I?**

It doesn't take long. Before I know it, there are another two moaning patients.

"_Boilfever" _

The words ring in my head, a repeating chant that makes it hard to focus on anything else. _Boilfever. _I know enough to be scared. _Boilfever._ Why didn't I see it?? One of the first symptoms is drowsiness. I knew Aeris was being unusually slow on our treks, but I wasn't too willing to leave the hill soon myself. I noticed Aeris was distant and seemingly absorbed in her thoughts, I thought she was thinking about the reaping. I was too disturbed by my own nightmares to notice Aeris was asleep so quickly during the nights. Her sickness has had unbelievably bad timing.

_Boilfever. _It is notorious in District Five.

It sometimes strikes one person in a crowd of hundreds.

It sometimes attacks all.

It is not spread by humans.

It sometimes lasts months, and is excruciating.

It is human nature to fear the unknown, one reason why boilfever is so feared. It is completely unpredictable. For those lucky, it will leave no remains, all but a bad memory.

For those unlucky, it is a slow, painful death.

It has one cure.

"Cade?" Absorbed in my thoughts, I didn't hear Aunt Fyrvis approach. "You should get some sleep. You've been up all night with her." Truth be told, I am tired. But before I can even think of sleeping, I have to ask. I have to ask the question whose answer I already know, but don't want to hear.

"Did they find that plant thing?" By "plant thing" it is clear I am out of the loop with herbs. Aunt Fyrvis knows I am talking about Mychern, the one plant that can help Aeris and everyone else. Aunt Fyrvis hold out her hand, revealing a small clump of leaves. "That's it?" My voice raises up an octave. I reach out, my hand trembling, for the plant. I examine the spiky leaves, the thin yellow stripes on each stem. _Yellow._ It's Aeris' favorite color. I memorize its shape, and hand it back to Aunt Fyrvis, who starts preparing it in doses for the patients.

I glance once, at Aeris. She is asleep, finally, and no longer in pain. I try to picture her a few days back, the happy girl I once knew. Then, I go off to sleep. The sun will rise soon, and the reaping will begin.

* * *

My left arm is covered in drawings. They are Aeris' work- she likes to draw to calm herself. I examine a flower with six petals, and move down towards my palm to trace the silhouette of a wolf with my finger. Wolf. I am the wolf. Aeris and I gave nicknames to each other when we were little. I was, and still am wolf because I can do an excellent imitation of a wolf's howl. Right beside the wolf is a bird, as though seen from above while flying. It appears as though it tilts to the right, its wings outstretched and its talons reaching out for a branch that even has leaves drawn on it. Bird is Aeris, for her love of the sky. It makes sense because she even hunts bugs! I wonder how she is now, somewhere among the fifteens as she waits for the reaping. All around me, sixteens wait patiently.

It doesn't take long for me to start wishing the mayor would hurry up. He makes the usual long speech about the Hunger Games, and steps aside to let the lady from the Capitol bounce up to pick the tributes. Her hand reaches in to the girl's reaping ball, and suddenly I am very afraid that Aeris will be picked. Even healthy, she would have a very slight chance of winning. But I relax as a name I don't recognize is pulled out.

"Evarin Lorring" A girl walks calmly to the platform. She must be at least seventeen. I stare, mesmerized, at her hair. It's long and is a strange shade of blond-white. In fact, she is quite pretty, and smiles as she turns to face the crowd. The Capitol woman bounces over to the boy's reaping ball.

Amazing how it never occurs to me my name might be chosen, until it is.

"Cade Wittcaster"

On the back of my hand is a half-drawn eye. By the end of this day, it will have tears.

**:OMG Reviews pretty please? XoXo Triggerhappy44**


	6. With Love, Aeris

**OHHHH!!! This, by the way, is already in the justice building, for goodbyes. Cade is being rather emo.**

Aeris is silent. Her tears splash on the soft wood of the table, yet she appears not to notice as she bends over my hand, deep in her work. Neither of us as made any sound for the past three minutes. I realize I may never see Aeris again. I raise my eyes to her face, examining the high cheekbones, the way her eyebrows furrow together as she struggles to perfect the eyelashes on her drawing. My eyes travel down to her jaw line, her mouth set in a slight pout. I leave her eyes for last. But I have forgotten. The beautiful cat-like eyes that once lit up her face are no longer the deep yellow-green they were. They are faded, their sparkle gone. And her skin- her skin is pale, so pale the freckles on the bridge of her nose stand out even more than usual. The dark circles under her eyes are painfully obvious.

I drop my gaze, now trying to remove the image of sick, tired Aeris from my mind.

"I'm done Cade" Aeris turns to me, and I want to scream at her, and tell her to go away, so I will remember happy Aeris, and take image with me to the grave. I want to leave and slam the door, and never look at her in this way again. Instead, I clench my jaw and force myself to stare at her. But Aeris knows me too well, and she recoils from my glare. Fresh tears fall from the corner of her eyes.

What a horrible person I am. I deserve to die, I deserve to be impaled and burned and murdered in the most horrible way. But my death will only kill Aeris as well. I pull her to me, trying to ignore the shudders of her body, the muffled wails. "I'm so sorry Aeris. Please, I'm sorry" She detangles herself from my arms and appraises me from beneath her hair. "Come home" She growls at me, and I have to laugh. She smiles, hesitantly. Then she walks away.

There are other people to see me. My mother says nothing, my father tells me to survive, and my siblings clutch my various limbs and wail. Nothing very important.

Then, Aeris' brother is last. He sits down slowly, slowly.

"Aeris is lecturing the other tribute"

This is hysterically funny to me. I can just imagine her, two heads shorter than the girl, Evarin, commanding her to behave around me.

He seems to realize I can't really understand him, and unlike my other visitors he gets straight to the point. He hands me a small, circular disk. I examine it. Inside, I can make out a Firefly. Somehow it seems real, 3D, as though it will pop out into reality, though I know it is quite flat.

"It was supposed to be for Aeris, but I think you need it more."

Then, the peacekeepers ask him to leave, and I am left alone to be escorted to the waiting train.

* * *

The eye has been completed. I was wrong. There are no tears. Instead, I can see a wolf sketched in the eye, like a reflection. And right above it, Aeris' handwriting covers my arm.

_Cade is __mine__. With love, Aeris. _I laugh. Trust Aeris to be possessive. Silly, lovable Aeris. Dying, sick Aeris. I've really got to do something about my mood swings.

* * *

Sometimes I have nightmares. Most of the time, they're about not being able to run. This one is different. I feel slashing pains all over my body. Then, my face is on fire. In dream-logic sort of way, I am awake, but still asleep. I sit up, still on my bed. But my bed has transformed into soft sand. And I am as though half blind. I shake my head vigourosly, trying to lose the crippling blackness on my right side, though I know, somehow, it is hopeless. I try to scream, and find that I cannot.

I wake up thrashing. I stumble out of my train compartment, to the end of the train. I burst out onto the balcony. It's _cold. _It's also very windy. I grab the railing to steady myself and gulp in fresh air. I'm relieved to know that my vision is just as perfect as it was before. No more dark spots.

I notice a full moon, the kind wolves like. Another smile.

I can nearly imagine Aeris' whisper in the darkness

"Howl for me"

However, I don't howl. Instead, I turn and hug "Aeris". For a heartbeat I am really holding her, and we are together. Then, I am embracing only air, and a violent turn of the locomotive brings me back to reality.

**Tee hee Cade is nuts already. I wonder if you people will realize how many hints I am dropping in these damn chapters!!! I f ANYBODY out there can tell me what District five's trade is; I will love you to pieces. If not, I will have to rather vague about Cade's costume. Please review.**

**XoXo Triggerhappy44**


	7. Suspense

The Capitol was giving Cade severe headaches.

There was the small fact that the Capitol was very bright and lluminated, and Cade didn't like that. He was a creature of the dark. Of the night. He felt as though there was a constant spotlight trained on him

And there was. He was a tribute in the 99th games. The whole nation was watching him and his fellow 23 tributes. 23 of them were going to die. Cade knew that. Everyone did.

But no one knew quite how determined Cade was to survive.

Except, maybe, a single girl. And she probably would have known, but right now she was deep in calm sleep, the first rest she had gotten recently. Family and friends began to let out the breath they had been holding, and they began to hope.

Little did they know.

Little did they realize.


	8. Cat and Mouse

The capitol woman bounced her way to the tv screen.

There was, really, no other way of putting it.

I examined her with interest, but was careful to keep expression from betraying my emotions. Any of them.

There was shock, for one. Was I really now part of the Hunger Games?…. But it wasn't a dream. I had learned that long ago. Nothing was a dream when you wanted it to be. Nothing stopped reality.

I was quite obviously unhappy. I mean, what else could you be when you are headed off to death, or probable death? Surviving would mean killing at least once. I wasn't sure my conscience could take that.

Then… Aeris. The whole situation was too complicated to put into clear, concise thoughts. Thinking of her future made me ache.

I then realized that the Capitol woman was staring at me.

"Earth to Cade!" She said cheerfully. At that moment, I was quite tempted to throw her out a window. I had just settled on a happy daydream of decapitating _"Bouncy"_ when she once again interrupted my musings.

Bouncy blathered for several moments. I learned that her name was really Miffi, but I would continue to call her Bouncy. It fit her better. I was also forced to listen to a dramatic retelling of Miffi's recent haircut.

_This person should die slowly._

Then I forgot my dark intentions as Bouncy bounced to the screen once more.

It would be highly educational to learn about my 23… uh… _friends_

This is exactly why I tuned out Bouncy and leaned forward, readying myself to see and learn- readying myself to see innocents I may have to kill, and the others who would be the hunters in this game of cat and mouse.

I didn't notice the tall figure who slipped quietly into the room.

**I am really sorry about the fact that I haven't updated ANYTHING for more than a week, but blame the French tests. And math tests and various other tasks.**

**But, to make it up to you, I have come up with a game. You may have heard of it. You see, there is this little rectangular monster (that's green) and his name is "Review"**

**Review needs to be feed very often. You can feed him by clicking on him and giving us some constructive critism. That makes Review happy. When Review is happy, he will tell me to write more. Then, I, Triggerhappy44 will do my best to give you more chapters.**

'**Tis the way of life. Now, I would like you to feed Review. XoXo Triggerhappy**


	9. James

**Takes place right after the other chapter. Enjoy!**

As always, the girl from district 1 was shown first. I was surprised to note that a Career was chosen straight away. The girl looked angry. Very angry. She strode up to the platform and stood glaring at the poor Capitol representative. Ahh. Good times.

I committed to memory all six careers.

Amaze Matthews, Girl from District 1. Yeah, she was amazing. Amazingly furious. Her nickname could be Happy.

Jonah Blaine. Boy from District 1. Long, blond hair. How did that work out for guys?? I decided to just call him Blaine.

Silver Crescent. Girl from District 2. Very tall. Black hair smoothed back in a way that seemed to shine. Everything about her, from her slightly tilted head, to the way she moved screamed Feline. I was stuck between "Goliath" and "Kitty"

Orcan Wackfeld. Boy from District 2. He was… wacky. Same black hair as "Goliath/Kitty" but he was much more compact, though heavily muscled. I wondered if he and Silver could be Kitty and Doggy. They were, after all, opposites. Kitty didn't look ready to climb any trees. She shot Doggy a death glare. _On live tv._ What was with these people?

District Three was uninteresting.

Then… Oh god. The female tribute from District 4 was _blue. _

I was NOT joking. She wasn't a bright sort of blue, just, _aquatic _She smiled proudly as she volunteered in place of a short fourteen-year old. Introducing herself as Periwinkle Stevens, she gave her long brown hair a shake, and smiled slyly at the cameras. I found myself mesmerized. Blue Child much.

Torris McCornlooked ready to impale Blue Child. I felt almost sorry for him as everyone focused on her turquoise skin. I decided I wouldn't want to meet him. His expression creeped me out a bit. From now on, he would be Grumpy.

District 5 was chosen next. Evarin looked just as I had seen her from the reaping. Fantastic and blond.

Then it was me being called up on stage, after Evarin. To my surprise, I was not what I expected. In truth, I was just as happy as Amaze Matthews, the queen of happiness herself.

The camera panned out to show Panem how I quickly strode to the platform. I stared stiffly out above the heads of my neighbors. Even Evarin, inspected me with interest. More interest, I think, than Aeris would appreciate.

Then the screen froze on the image of my grim expression. I realized someone must have paused it with a remote.

Bouncy and I turned to meet the eyes of a tall man. My mentor.

For a minute, we stared at each other. Bouncy squirmed, unused to the lack of attention. I wondered, briefly, what my mentor would think of my plans for Bouncy's execution. Would he approve? As if he heard my thoughts, he gave me a small smile. He reached out with a hand and I shook it. He had a firm hold. "Impressive" he told me, gesturing towards the showing of the reaping.

"You can call me James"

**You wouldn't believe how tempted I was to name him bob.**

**I is as happy as Happy Matthews the queen of happiness herself!**

**Actually, I'm quite calm. But I won't be if you don't feed Review.**

**XoXo Triggerhappy.**


	10. Dangerous Tributes

**Once again, TAKES PLACE RIGHT AFTER THE LAST ONE. WOW. Sorry, I left the caps key on and im too lazy to erase that. Though I guess I wasted more time typing this. Oh well. **

**On with the story. Btw, I think you people will like the guy from District 7. I know I do.**

**P.S you guys will LOVE what I have planned for Bouncy. **

**P.P.S this chapter will probably be rather boring but it is NECESSARY. If I spelled that right.**

In nearly no time, James had gotten rid of Bouncy. I felt very proud of my mentor at that moment. So, armed with writing utensils and paper, we began to take notes on the tributes. James pointed out a girl from District Six I had overlooked, and it was only till he rewound the tape and showed me twice more what I had missed that I saw it.

The girl, Jemn Horlwater, was short and elfin. I had seen no reason to fear her until I saw the way she walked, like someone hopping from little rock to little rock in a river of lava, until I saw the red tipped wood not only in her pockets, but stuffed into her left sock as well. Matches. There was no denying it. The girl was a serious pyromaniac. So I dutifully added her name to the list of the deemed "Dangerous Tributes"

There were, of course, others on the list. Namely, all six Careers. Amaze, Jonah, Silver, Orcan, Periwinkle and Torris. Then Evarin. Jemn.

We were at District 7. A twelve year old girl was chosen, wailing all the way to the platform. Poor, poor Zolynne.

But it was the guy who really caught my attention. Dustin Red loped gracefully to the platform. He then proceeded to do something I'm sure was a first in our history. Of course, he had seemed interesting before, and slightly insane, judging by the way he was grinning, but my jaw dropped open when he gave the Capitol Representative a high-five. I watched him and Dustin laugh and joke like old friends. The crowd in District Seven stared. I then decided I wanted him for an ally. If anyone could keep me sane in the arena, I was sure the smiling seventeen-year old on-screen could.

James approved my choice. We added his name to a new list.

District Eight coughed up a pair of unfortunate thirteen-year olds, sure to die quickly.

District Nine provided a huge, hulking boy by the name of Spencer. James added him to the Dangerous Tributes list as he jeered at the crowd, who stared back unblinkingly. A cowering fifteen year old stood behind him, trying to look brave and failing miserably.

In District Ten Tiffany Morrison stood quietly when her name was called, but her silence wasn't that of hostility, despair, or any other emotion I recognized. She was simply part of the background. But she was obviously mentally and physically strong at eighteen years of age, so I wrote her name on the D T List, with a star beside it. As James put it, it was better to overestimate than to underestimate.

From District Eleven, a screaming fourteen-year old was dragged to the platform, while his District partnewallsr screamed at the crowd over and over again "I told you so" until the Peacekeepers moved in. District Eleven, it seemed, was not happy with who had been reaped.

District Twelve yielded, once more, hopeless young children, to be slaughtered for the Capitol's enjoyment.

.........

_Thud. thud. thud_.

James and I leaned on opposite walls, not quite facing each other. James bounced a ball off the wall to my right as we stood there. I was generally a very patient person. But I was still beginning to become annoyed, waiting here for James to speak. He was deep in thought, and he threw and caught the ball without looking at it, instead staring intently at a coffee stain on the carpet at our feet. His words could, and probably would, save my life in the arena. Unfortunatly, the words were slow in coming.

_Thud_.

So when he did speak, it startled me. I too, had been dozing off, as the thud of the ball kept a steady pace.

_Thud. thud._

"So" he said.

"So" I said.

James rolled his eyes.

"What are you good at? Can you use any of the weapons, do you know how to hunt..."

I paused, waited, thought. Strengths. What was I good at? _Thud. thud. Howl for me. _Aeris' voice was as clear as though she were standing next to me, when really she nowhere near our current location, somewhere in between District 2 and District 1. God, I hated hallucinating.

Still, Aeris' words made perfect sense. Shall I backpedal?

.......

_"Wait up!" A much younger Aeris ran towards me, her small hands parting the grasses blocking her way. _

"_You take too long" I complained in a voice that was mine, but way more high pitched. We were on the trails of course, as we always were, especially in the summers. The crickets in the bushes around us chirped loudly to announce their presence, competing with the songbirds, flying through the air in little groups and perching in the rare tree. Personally, I liked the songbirds better. I listened, cupping a hand around my ear. _

_I liked this particular melody. I ran over the notes in my head, then opened my mouth and tried to mimic them. My first attempt was off. I tried again. Aeris gazed open-mouthed at me. Her mood didn't last. Being Aeris, she closed her mouth, put her hands on her hips and said, immediatly- _

_"How do you do that? Teach me how, Cade!" So I told her to listen, where she was bound to fail. But it seemed Aeris was rather determined to sing like the birds too, for she did listen. _

_......_

Aeris never sang like the birds. She just couldn't do it. In my childish logic, I had, of course, thought that anything I could do was just as easy for everyone else. It didn't turn out like that. In her frustration, Aeris had run home alone, thinking there was something wrong with her. We fought.

We grew older, Aeris learned to appreciate my gift. I learned more sounds. It became a daily ritual to make her laugh until she hiccupped, while I pretended to drink a glass of water (with only my voice) or exagerate the way our history teacher talked. In fact, I even learned to _throw _my voice. With only minimal difficulty, I could speak, and make it sound as though I was talking in the opposite corner of the room.

_Howl for me._ That was it. One of my best impressions was the wolf. It was Aeris favourite. I realied, then, it was also a weapon. Wolves were predators. Tributes were people. People were prey. Prey was scared of predators.

That was what I explained to James. If I sounded like a predator, I could terrify my enemies. I could make them scared to sleep.

Not just that. I could quickly run long distances and not tire. I had a good throwing arm, I decided I had a good chance of doing well with spears. The way we figured, James and I, Cade Wittcaster deffinetly deserved a spot on the list of Dangerous Tributes.

**YAY! Cade is awesome, Aeris is perfect anymore, Dustin is now one of my favourite tributes, and Silver and Jemn will turn out to play important parts. Poor, poor Zolynne. She's gonna set a chain reaction.**

**Call me crazy. You really have no idea.**

**Wasn't that long?**


	11. Adoring

To my great annoyance, Miffi had taken to prematurely waken me from my short catnaps (James had insisted they were very helpful). To solve this problem, I had gone into the dining compartment and taken a chair. The plan was to go to my room, barricade the door (thus the necessity of the chair) and put a pillow over my head.

Instead, I had met Miffi along the way.

"Hi Cade! What are you doing with that chair, you silly boy?" She trilled in her deranged accent. In response, I had smiled slyly, leaned forward, and whispered:

"Do you really want to know, Miffi?"

After an eager nod, I turned and opened the door of one of the spare compartments. "Ladies first" Bouncy, still nodding dumbly, stepped unknowingly into my trap. I closed the door, and set the chair in its place.

Bouncy was sure to have great difficulty getting out of the room on her own. That was the intention, but I was sure to get a lecture later.

Down the hall, James gave me thumbs up.

I smiled, and the action felt alien.

………..

The door flew open. So much for the barricade plan.

Those first few heartbeats, I was reluctant to get out of bed. Then, I remembered that the Hunger Games called for instant action. It would do me good to be able to wake quickly in case I was attacked during the night.

So I threw myself out of bed and onto the floor. My eyes watered as I hit my tailbone on the hard floor.

I gathered my wits and turned my attention to the three brightly-colored humans standing at my door. My prep stared back at me with wide, unblinking eyes.

Then, they spontaneously burst into action, squealing and running towards me. I was suddenly smothered by overly enthusiastic adults with the brains of three-year olds.

Still, it was hard not to feel pleased as they gushed over me.

Horus was the one who seemed most normal to me, even with is cherry red hair and eyes, and cranberry purple tattoos. He was quieter than Jerry, who had a permanent grin plastered on his baby blue face, and without a doubt both were quieter than Kerry.

Kerry's skin was something similar to that of the people of District 11- it was a deep bronze with golden freckles, but her hair completely destroyed my original comparison. It was pink, for one.

It was Kerry who blabbered the most.

"We were so excited to find out we would be the ones to prepare you for your stylist! Horus saw you in the reaping and he said to me, oh he would be the best. Wasn't he right? Weren't you right, Horus?"

Ahhh. At this moment I felt quite adored. I enjoyed the feeling.

………

In no time, I was undressed and shoved into a bath.

I felt a pang of sadness as what was left of Aeris' drawings washed off of my left arm. The ink swirled happily in the water, making strange shapes as it ran off my skin.

I felt slightly more than a pang when I was rid of "excess" body hair. My whole body stung.

After that, I sat back and listened to Kerry and Jerry argue over which soap to use. Horus quietly chose another one while the two were debating. Their discussion soon turned to other topics, and they quickly forgot of that particular dilemma.

I was given some pills and a glass of water, which I took, though rather unwillingly.

Aeris didn't like pills.

I decided I didn't either.

A squealing trio hauled me forcefully to the mirror. I would rather have slept. But even I had to admit, the Cade staring back at me looked fantastic. My dark hair was artistically arrayed into disorder, my eyes looked much more prominent with make-up. The little scar I had on the side of my face was gone, hidden some where underneath the makeup. I liked it.

Until I saw the sparkles.

I was covered in silver and black dust.

It was time to meet my stylist, the crazy wacko woman who had had the brilliant idea of putting me in a cat suit.

Meow.

**You guys will have to wait to see his chariot costume… but I hope you liked that prank he played on bouncy. **


	12. Underwater

**By the way guys, this is in Aeris' point of view. It has some serious foreshadowing in it… wonder if you can find it.**

**Aeris**.

It felt kind of nice, being underwater.

Of course, I wasn't physically underwater. But it felt like it, the way I was, sheltered in the depths of my mind.

It was calm.

The sort of calm it is on the ocean floor, while the hurricane rages at the water's surface.

That's why I stayed down below, though I was beckoned to the air.

It was nicer down here.

Pristine.

It was a world where hurt and sorrow were distant memories, unlikely possibilities.

It was simple down here.

Underwater, nothing happened, but it wasn't boring. Not for me. It was like floating without a thought.

Nothing's boring when you're dazed. I surely was dazed. Thinking hurt, so I just swam.

Not really thinking. Wandering. Wondering.

I didn't want to go to the surface. That was for sure.

But something told me I had too. That I couldn't stay underwater forever.

Was it possible I was drowning?

Surely not. If I was drowning, it wasn't the choking I had imagined. It was okay.

I liked it down here.

Why would I go up?

And yet my wandering bought me closer to the surface. Closer to the storm.

But the closer I got, the clearer things became.

I mean, wasn't that strange?

Storms aren't clear. They're foggy and misty and confusing.

I began to think. It hurt.

So I stopped, and dived down.

Waiting for the courage to breathe, to come to the surface.

The longer I waited, the harder it got. It was as though winter had come early, and a thin sheet of ice began to form above the water. The ice was painful.

I shied away from it.

So I floated some more, in my pristine world.

In my calm ocean, away from pain.

I couldn't stay here forever, could I?

The ice was getting stronger.

From above, someone smashed at it.

A crack appeared. A way out.

I could stay down here. Clueless.

But I rose, cautious as ever.

And it hurt so much. I hadn't noticed the ringing in my ears before. As I got swam upwards, it became painfully obvious.

My world turned from calm and lulled to sharp and clear in the blink of an eye.

Pain.

It was like breathing for the first time, in such a long time.

And everything was so… so

Different. Nothing was curved, like the waves anymore.

It was all sharp angles, hairpin turns.

And I could smell. The sickly sweet scent of medicine.

I hadn't realized I had lost my sense of smell.

And hearing was so different.

Muffled, I heard two voices, one gruff and male, and another I vaguely recognized.

"_Yes ma'am, we'll fix the porch real soon. Don't you worry!"_

"_The damage is quite extensive."_

Oh, they didn't realize. The damage was irreparable. It was so unbelievably painful. Why did they care about the porch? Didn't they realize? Didn't they know?

It hurt.

I screamed.

That hurt too.

I barely had time to see a figure barge in the room, heading towards me, before I dived.

At first, I couldn't get back, but I took a deep breath, and forced myself underwater.

Bliss.

The pain faded to a throb I could ignore, if I tried hard enough.

The water was cool, soothing wounds I could not see.

Back underwater, at last.

A barely heard sound from above. I shoved it away.

I wouldn't go back. It was nicer here, dull and predictable.

Not the awful agony of the surface.

Underwater.

_I wonder if Cade would like it here._

Then, Cade? From the surface?

No. I had abandoned the surface, and everything to do with it. Unless this Cade creature could come to the deep blue of my world, I wanted nothing to do with him.

I was at home here.

Calm. Pristine.

Even, quite possibly, happy.


	13. Amadeus, Amadeus

**Thanks to "Waving Flag" by Knaan for helping me get over this chapter. **

My stylist's name was Amadeus. She didn't talk much, but slapped me when I argued. After about ten minutes, I learned to keep my mouth shut, and not disagree with her choices. The sparkles and cat-suit didn't make much sense until Amadeus had nearly finished. My costume was constructed on me, with strips of cloth and other strange material. I became stone.

You see, as District Five citizens, we mined metals and precious stones. So I was stone.

Metal wound up my leg, my arms were set with gems, the sparkles suddenly made sense.

After a quick debate with James, the chariot ride was soon to start. I wondered, briefly, how Evarin was. I had seen her only briefly, quick hellos and goodbyes in the train, sometimes during mealtime.

She was already seated in the chariot as I approached. She looked almost sad, watching as I scrambled up to join her before District One began their ride.

"Hey" I said breathlessly. She just nodded quickly and looked away. Evarin, being Evarin, looked stunning, but lacked the confidence I normally saw at school.

"Um" I began again. "Are we supposed to talk, or ignore each other?" She looked back at. She replied so softly I almost didn't hear it. "We can chat at the beginning"

We played our part perfectly. Evarin even managed to smile, as I pretended to be telling her something, and she nodded every few sentences, as though in agreement. The bright sun spilled out over us as we pulled out, our horses trotting happily away.

Evarin, apparently, had been given the same instructions as me, and we ignored the crowd completely, alternaltely laughing and looking bored. Evarn examined her nails with interest as I glanced up to the large screen high above our heads. We were high up the list, high enough that we would be noticed, but low enough that we would not be made targets. That was my strategy. I cast a bored look across the audience, and leaned back in the chariot.

We sighed and fidgeted while the president maybe his long speech. Then the chariots continued their ride into the Training Centre, where it was a relief to escape, to stop pretending I was care-free. I cared.

Let the 99th Hunger Games begin.

**Feed Review. I am so sorry I didn't upload faster. Would now be a good time to mention I'm out of the country for a week, and won't be able to upload?**


	14. Later

Cade

The lights were unnaturally bright, effectively blinding me. It was probably for the best though, as I didn't want to see the audience.

"Well?" repeated the host. Evarin still wasn't herself, a fact clearly visible as she squirmed in the chair at the front of the stage. _BEEEEEEP._ The buzzer rang, and as Evarin rose to finish her interview, I realized it was my turn. What joy.

"Hello Cade!" The host was an older man, though he valiantly fought to keep his hairline. A balding man with lime-green hair didn't inspire me much.

"Yo" I answered. Oops. Guess the capitol wasn't used to our slang.

"Cade, you're very interesting to us citizens."

"Good. I'll live longer." I retorted. The host didn't catch my hint.

"I like your care-free attitude. And that 9 in training??? Amazing. We simply don't know how you do it." I sighed. Dumb man. Our previous interview host had been an nice guy, but this man was starting irritate me. He glared at me, still waiting for a response.

"First of all, I have nothing to lose" _Lie, of course. I had everything to lose._ "Second of all, it would be ridiculous for me to tell you how I got a nine in training, because the rest of these tributes would hear me." _Actually... how did I score that high? _As it turned out, I had very good aim with spears. I had of course, also demonstrated my imitation host pursed his lips at me. Bleh.

"Cade, Cade, Cade." He sighed dramatically. I stood up.

"Later."

And I made myself very proud when I walked away and sat down in my previous seat. The whole audience (now visible) was aghast, the host looked horrified. Because, in case you hadn't noticed, the buzzer hadn't rung. I had just walked out on my interview. Yeah, I stood out. Yeah, I had played my angle perfectly. Yeah, my "to murder" list was growing, though Bouncy was first and foremost.

_BEEEEEEP._

**YAYAYAYAY you should be very proud of me! I had a LOT of homework._ XoXo Triggerhappy._**


	15. Just like Home

I gagged as Amadeus stuffed food into my mouth, but forced myself to eat it, knowing it would be nessecary.

When she stopped choking me, she left to get my clothes for the Games, leaving me to think about my three new allies.

_~Flashback~_

_Jemn scared me still, even though I knew I would have to trust her to keep watch during the night. Dustin sat beside me, picking at the sesame seeds on a loaf of bread while Jemn watched Zolynne talk with an expression in her eyes I couldn't read. I had just wanted to ally with Dustin, but he had promised to take care of Zolynne, for a while at least, and she and Jemn hadn't been separated since the first day of training. So there were four of us. The plan was that Dustin would run for weapons, I would sprint for a backpack of supplies, and Jemn would hide Zolynne, and find us after the bloodbath. I had no intention of taking any part of it, but Dustin was sorely tempted to bury an axe in Peri's head. I had no idea what he had against her. That being said, it may have been the way she acted. She was so naive for a Career it practically screamed "Bring me to earth! My head is in the clouds, my brain is non-existent!" It might have been funny. It might have. But right that moment my gaze flickered back to Jemn, and I realized what the expression on her face was. I looked around. Dustin was shoving the previously-mentioned bread in his mouth, Zolynne continued to rant happily. No one had noticed. No one had seen the dark side of Jemn. The sickening emotion that did not belong on her pretty face.  
_

_~Flasback ends~_

So there you have it. I was one messed up guy. I was also a rather queasy guy as Amadeus helped me into the clothes I would wear for the duration of the Games. There was a pair of pants, light brown with thin, darker streaks, a shirt, also pale brown, but with splotches of faded green, a sweater, a jacket that _once again _was light brown with brown stripes. Last of all was a pair of boots, dark brown. I examined them as Amadeus huffed with impatience. They were terrible. Capitol quality, made for show rather than wear. The boots were terrible for running. Terrible for me.

As I stepped onto the plate that would carry me up into the arena, I turned to Amadeus.

"Tell James to get me proper boots. I need to run."

Amadeus' eye twitched, but she nodded and even waved to me as the glass cylinder came down and the plate began to rise.

I caught my first glimpse of the arena. It was sweltering hot, a desert interrupted by rare clumps of trees. There was no sign of water.

_Joy to the world, maybe I'm not screwed_. I thought when I saw the large patch of long, tall grass. _Just like home._


	16. Restart

Guys, don't kill me.

But I'm killing this story, at least temporarily.

You may have noticed a bunch of chapters are gone... about that.

I feel like it's gone downhill from the point I started the Games, so what I'm going to do, is delete all the chapters that I wrote after the Games started, and begin again, make a few changes, and actually focus when I'm typing.

Cause, I'm really not pleased with my story, and it seems like all the reviews went away too...,

So, I'll hopefully be able to finally finish this stupid story over the summer. :)

XoXo Triggerhappy44


	17. Unforgiving in the Sky

**Okay, here's the next chappie. Arghh, I hate it.**

I stand on my little Island, safe from the mines that want to hurt me. I can imagine their hungry grins, as they swallow me, teeth unnaturally white. Because after all, everything is unnatural.

The curve of a little girl's body as she dives, a simple leap into the air. Into freedom, as she bursts into little flowers of explosion.

It is during those sixty seconds that I start to lose my mind.

It drifts away, too little to be let out alone.

And suddenly.

…The rush of air as a breeze caresses my cheek.

I have nothing to lose. ….. I have everything to lose.

I have nothing to live for. … But human instinct, basic

….Survival forces you.

….…Find food.

…..…. Find water.

….….. Find shelter.

Run to the damn Cornucopia when the stupid gong rings, get there before everyone else, and manage to snag a back pack and a smaller pack, and a small knife that lies by it.

Cutting ruthlessly at a tribute that gets too close, slashing him across the face. A reddening cut from brow to cheek, before I realize it is my greatest opponent. Orcan.

He is furious, aims with his sword straight at my heart. Not today.

I'm not going to die today, for the enjoyment of the Capitol. I dodge, but still get hurt. A deep cut in my flesh just above the ribs. It stings like hell.

The vultures shriek.

Then I run for my life, to escape his sword. Diving into the long grass, I look around for my allies. A rustle makes me stiffen; reach for my knife, pretty much useless in battle.

It's just Jemn, and Zolynne, trailing meekly behind her. Jemn holds up a hastily wrapped up picnic blanket. Huh? Deep inside its folds is a turkey, a feast. What the..?

We keep moving west, towards the rapidly setting sun. A few minutes later, Dustin joins us. Our party of four pauses for a moment, and we take inventory.

Dustin has an axe, and three long daggers he managed to snatch. We each tear a very small amount of the turkey apart, and chew it to keep our selves busy. It's good. Very good. I am disappointed when there is no weapon I feel truly comfortable with. I wish for a javelin, for they are easy to throw and aim.

Inside the packs, we find two sleeping bags. Three water bottles, and the motherload of salty crackers.

The cannons sound. Eleven times. Eleven human souls who will not see the sun rise, who will never say another word.

Eleven human souls who may or may not have said goodbye to life, who might have known death was coming. Or else stabbed in the back, their heart stopped before they knew what was going on.

Eleven people who wanted nothing more than to get home. Who would have killed me.

The anthem comes and goes, I barely notice as I bandage my wound.

I find it difficult to sleep, knowing. Eleven faces shimmer in the sky. They are expressionless, but my imagination twists their emotions. They appear to be blaming me, staring down reproachfully. I can't help but feel grateful, because every death is one step closer to this horror being over for another year.

One by one, the faces fade, leaving only the stars to watch cruelly, the massacre below.

**Sorry it's taking so long, I'm trying to get the details right. Now, this upload was a very rare one, because i want to try and finish the story before i upload it all. so... don't expect any uploads soon. sorry... :(**

**I actually hate this story, but i have to finish it. sigh.**

**Triggerhappy44.**


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